Okay, so, a few people (mostly family members) have asked me what I want for Christmas. Naturally, I would *like* some more D&D materials since I'm a gameaholic, but I have a tiny little problem...

What books/materials do I need/want?

At present, I have the three core rulebooks (3.5), and the 3.0 Monster Manual. I have the basic set of dice, too. I'm working on getting a beginner group together for D&D at my college (which is Christian -- no, wait, don't run away!), and it's possible I might be the one DMing.

What other books (supplements, accessories or otherwise) would you suggest I add to my wishlist?

Any gameaholic will tell you that "need" is always surpassed by "want." ::snickers:: And in my case, I want everything I can lay my hands on (and afford)!

I typically like a balance between hack'n'slash and a more detailed game. They tend to work hand-in-hand very well. I also tend to use the information in the books as inspiration for my writing, as I am an aspiring novelist.

I do tend to love the monster books and most things related to magic...

well a Christian college...hmmm...my one suggestion to you is The Book of Vile Darkness...its fun gaming for all! What better book for rules on drug abuse, poison, & weird/unnatural behavior?

but seriously, Magic of Faerun [awesome book of spells]...i also highly recommend the Tome of Horrors & the Tome of Horrors II [these monster books are packed with some awesome monsters from arch-demons to undead to lesser fey & everything in between...my favorite monster is the Red Jester]but if you are looking for a more Christian gaming experiance go for the Book of Exalted Deeds

but as for monsters next year the Monster Manuel III is coming out& this year there is the Serpent Kingdoms [a monster book of reptilian races], Races of Stone, & the Libiris Mortis [sp?] [ a big book of the undead]...i especially recommend the book of the undead =)

I don't know why these guys think you want a Christian slant to your game just because you go to a Christian college.

But anyway, you pretty much have all you need. I have found that the aforementioned Eberron setting is pretty cool. And Forgotten Realms is indeed a good fall-back campaign with some good resources that can be used in other campaigns.

If you want some free resources there they are all over the net. If you have access to a printer, especially. www.wizards.com is a good place to find them and there is enworld, as above.

If you are dealing with new players, though, the core books will provide more than enough. Keep It Simple. They will appreciate it, later.

If you don't mind my asking, why are you going to a "Christian" college? Forgive my leaping to conclusions, but your userinfo doesn't seem to contain any of the typical Christian-collegegoer interests.

Mmm... stereotypes... how I hate them! Let me scare you further by saying I'm also Catholic. You're probably gasping in shock, right? I thought so.

There are a lot of fundamentalist Christians out there who are very closeminded about everything. However, that's not how ALL Christians are. There are many of us who enjoy "normal" hobbies and games. There's a Games Club on my campus. We've played Magic (the card game) and D&D before.

I also transferred to my present college because it had better departments for my major and minor than my last college did and it gave me an outlet for my religious beliefs at the same time. I mean, it's hard to be an English major who loves Medieval and Renaissance literature at a college where none of the professors teach anything before the 1700's, y'know?

I'm an odd duck in general, being a gamer GIRL, too. So, don't think I'm angry or anything. I expected at least one person to ask about this. ;-)

Hmm...a Catholic gamer GIRL, trying to set up a D&D (work of the devil!) game at a Christian school. You don't like being a typical example of any particular group, do you? ;)

I went to a Christian school in college, and I really didn't enjoy it. The prevailing atmosphere was along the lines of "if you're having a bad day, it's because you're not spiritual enough". If you didn't go to chapel, you were a "bad Christian" etc. There was very little grace in evidence.

I hope your school is less of an institution and more focused on following the Messiah's examples :)

The Greyhawk Gazeteer has quite a lot of info in it detailing the World of Greyhawk (at the time of the 3.0 release anyway).

Cities, political things of interest, history, and an inside look at all (perhaps) of the gods.

I would try and stay away from anything campaign specific (such as FR) if you aren't wanting to run games from there.

Being a "crac...er..gameaholic" myself once you get into a campaign world (such as FR) you'll want -ALL- the books on it.

I had to take my wallet to a psychiatrist due to the depression I put it under when I started grabbing all the FR related books.

Don't get me wrong, they're great...but as far as $$$ is concerned:Core books for 3.5 (which you already have)Greyhawk GazeteerComplete Warrior (out now)Complete Divine (out now)Complete Arcane (out soon!!)...and a good present for a family member to get you:Subscrptions to Dragon AND Dungeon...

As others have mentioned, Eberron and Forgotten Realms are good. If you get FR:CS, I would recommend Magic of Faerun. They tend to reference each other in a few places, plus MoF is simply a good book. If you're into campaign settings, Oathbound by Bastion Press is a good one.

If you like supplementals and/or house rules, I would strongly recommend WOTC's Unearthed Arcana, Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed, and WOTC's Savage Species. Some people have a problem with SS and "balance" issues. I use it as a reference, often changing rules as I feel they should be.

Depending on what else you want, there are a lot of other good ones or at least interesting reads. Ghostwalk, Draconomicon, Underdark, Frostburn, Manual of the Planes, Epic Level Handbook, ... "So many toys!"

Oh...to be ON-topic for once, I recently started collecting the D&D miniatures. Compared to paint-it-yourself metal figures, they're a steal...if the random distribution doesn't cause you any problems.

For the same amount of cash, you get easily 5 times the number of minis...and you don't have to spend the time painting them! It's great for hordes of mooks that the party will be encountering.

Other than that, I can't add much that hasn't already been said. If you're going to be DMing, the following list may be helpful: